Table-Rules
by BeatriceL
Summary: NextGeneration One-shot. The sorting hat divided Harry Potter's children between the houses... and brought Hogwarts together. I don't own the characters.


Table-Rules

Teddy Lupin wasn't a coward; he enjoyed playing the knight in shinning armour in the muggle primary school play. Yet the blue haired boy wasn't brave like his godfather, nor Aunt Hermione or Uncle Ron. Therefore he understood why the hat had not put him in Gryffindor, the eleven year old boy mused to himself solemnly.

He just wasn't a Slytherin like his grandma or Uncle Draco, his lack of coordination was only an example of that as he tried to find the great hall without tripping. Ginny always told him he had the brains for Ravenclaw, but he was sceptic that the Ravenclaw had the sense of humour to survive him.

Teddy really enjoyed Hufflepuff. Sure, he really missed his Harry and Ginny, and even the three and a half year old James… but he missed his brother only a bit… a tiny little bit...

He felt kind or relieved that he got out of the house around the same time the little Albus came. The eleven year old liked his sleep, thank you very much… but Teddy did miss his family.

And for all good the Hufflepuff was, the same house his late mum had gone to, the boy was disgruntled of the results of the sorting. His best friend and the oldest Wesley of the next Generation, Victorine, was traditionally placed in Gryffindor. Sure, he felt happy for the blond, but with them being in different houses, the two children had little time to hang out now.

Meals were a particularly awkward moment as the two caught the sight of the other. They both chattered excitedly with their new friends and dorm mates, yet for anyone who knew the two kids, it had seemed impossible before the 1st September that the two could eat without sitting next to the other. Talk about co-depended.

And even after a week Teddy didn't like it one bit. The hole house rivalry was cool when it came to quiddich, but the hole table arrangement was something the now brown haired boy couldn't stomach.

Teddy Lupin wasn't a coward; he enjoyed playing the knight in shinning armour in the muggle primary school. Yet the blue haired boy wasn't brave like his godfather, nor Aunt Hermione or Uncle Ron.

He wasn't a Gryffindor.

Nevertheless, as the boy entered the Great Hall, his heightened sense passed down from his late dad, Remus Lupin, alerted him to the presence of his best friend. With a determined look, the now green haired boy marched toward the table of red and golden colours.

Slowly the first years, then the second, third and fourth noticed the strange green haired boy laughing amicably with the blond Wesley in the middle of the Gryffindor table. Then the Hufflepuff caught the eye of the Slytherin fifth year, and the entire Ravenclaw table. His own housemates above his year who didn't have the chance of talking to him yet discussed the sight with confusion.

Yes, sometimes a student from a different house came to have a quick chat with another housemate, especially if they were siblings. But those two were just friends! And the pair seemed in no rush at all!

Even the staff caught the now turquoise haired boy, and watched the scene with a curious gaze, bewilderment or small smiles.

The Ravenclaw discussed if there was actually a school rule stating that the students of a house were assigned to sit on a particular table, or was it an unsaid rule.

Nevertheless, next day it was the blond Wesley who sat at the Hufflepuff table, bringing with her three other friends, and so the rotation started between the house of the loyals and house of the braves.

Teddy wasn't brave, but his godfather once told him that his regret from his youth was letting others control his life. He hoped that both his parents and guardians are proud of him as the year went on and the first years of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were both intense rivals in quiddich, and became great colleagues after classes.

Yes, he didn't need to be a Gryffindor now.

James Sirius Potter, a third year and one the best quiddich chasers Hogwart had ever seen, sat down in contempt on the Gryffindor table as he glared at the table farthest from him. His best friend and cousin Fred ll just shuggered as the most popular teen in Britain, musician, expert womanizer and an already powerful charm breaker looked like he had swallowed a particularly nasty muggle medicine.

The first born of the world's famous Harry Potter was an easy going person. The entire school suspected him for most of the unresolved pranks in the past three years. He had a legacy of the Maunders to uphold of course, but now the warmly hearted Gryffindor was visibly upset, and in a way that made Fred wonder of the hell that will soon break loose.

Across the room was a three year younger boy, with darker hair then those of his brother. The messy nature of his hair and green eyes made the first year look like a carbon copy of his dad. Next to him sat a blond boy with blue eyes, and a red haired Wesley.

The new Silver Trio sat together with the rest of the snakes.

_May be I should stop calling them snakes_; The oldest Potter boy wondered, as after all his little brother was one of those snakes now.

This year had been the first time EVER an either Potter or Wesley was placed into Slytherin. Sure, until now many of his cousins were spread out across the other houses. But save for Uncle Percy's twins, as the girls were in fourth year Ravenclaw, it had usually been either Gryfindor or sometimes Hufflepuff …

James thought with a serious look, so uncommon on the boys face, about his second name: Sirius.

Sirius Black had a younger brother too once upon a time, but with the sorting the delicate relationship between the brothers had been broken and never mended. Regulus became a death eater and was mysteriously killed after defying the Dark Lord, and Sirius was put into prison without having anyone to believe in his innocence.

The Potter brothers fought like a cat and dog most of the time, but they were always brothers. No matter when, from who or what, they always protected each other and stood by the other.

Damn sorting.

And James Sirius Potter will be damned if he let history repeat itself.

Earning many curious and confused looks as the Gryffindor suddenly stood up, James calmly walked around the great hall, passing the Hufflepuff table, then Ravenclaws, until he reached the snakes.

_I should really stop saying that_, the Potter thought.

He was kind of used to the Malfoy, after all the kid hang out around Andromeda from time to time, therefore Teddy was rather close to his cousin.

… Therefore he kind of had to act civil to the kid if he ever met him before. And his father insisted that once a year the Malfoys have a dinner at their house and vice versa. However, James personally wasn't too close to Malfoy… or Malfoy-Black, since Aunt Narcissa had divorced Lucius nineteen years ago…

Yep, he wouldn't have minded for Scorpius, his younger and annoying cousin wasn't the problem either, but he simply refused to be estranged from his little brother due to some hypocritical rivalry of houses.

''Hello, little bro.''

The Gryffindor sat casually next to the Silver Trio. One kid on his right suddenly dropped the fork, while another, a seventh year this time, spilled the pumpkin juice on his girlfriend.

James ginned with mischief.

''Hi!'' Al replied sounding both amused and confused as he looked at his older brother. ''What's up James?''

_He is such a Slytherin_… James mused silently as he watched the innocent expression on his brother face. James knew Al, and his little brother was far too smart for his own good- and an annoyingly well skilled actor to that. His little brother ignored completely the rest of the entire great hall as he smiled.

Yes, his little brother was a cunning and ambitious Slytherin… and he couldn't imagine or want him any other way.

And so James Sirius Potter, the perfect Gryffindor- or so people thought- chatted amicably with the first year Slytherins for the rest of the dinner. Should any Gryffindor dare to even look the wrong way when Al and his friends came over to his housemates, they instantly knew they should think again.

James continued to come to the snakes table, dragging Fred with him on occasions until a particular black haired girl from Slytherine caught his eye sometime later… then his brother was a good excuse to hang out with the snakes.

And even years later, James remembered the shortest moment when his little brother's eyes sparked with joy and relief when James joined him first time at the Slytherine table.

A Slytherine or not, Albus Severus Potter was James' brother.

Lily Luna Potter has had to endure watching many of her brothers' pranks over the years and keep them in line when needed. She loved those brothers dearly: Jamie, Al and Teddy, even if the last was a brother in everything but blood. The eleven year old girl had impressively long red hair that went well past her waste, she knew what she wanted, her favourite subject was diviation, much to the lack of comprehension of almost the entire school and the Wizard World.

After all she was Harry Potter's only daughter and she had to be special, even though it was in more ways then most ever realized.

The girl was smart, loyal, brave and devious when provoked. Much like her parents, the hat had a hard time finding a place for her, but she of course already knew where she would go.

And it was due to the same training that kept her from bursting out laughing at some of the things her older brothers did over the years in very inappropriate moment, that the girl managed to keep herself from chewing her lip in nerves.

Just like her godmother, Luna Lovelong, Lily knew she was a bit weird at times.

And so the day after the welcoming feast, Lily stood in the pathway leading to the Great Hall with apprehension. For all the years that she had been dreaming about Hogwart School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the girl didn't know where to go.

''Hey Lils! What's up?''

The brown eyed red hair turned toward her youngest older brother who had a warm smile on his pale face. He reminded her of dad when he did this, and right now the daddy's-girl was missing the man in question.

''Fine.'' She responded with a shrug, tossing some of her hair over her shoulder.

Whatever the three years older brother deducted from watching his sister, it was carefully hidden behind this piercing green stare.

Why did Al have to be so damned good at occlumency?

''Come'on, I have some people I'd like you to meet, and then James and I are going to give you the best tour on the Castle. We'll focus on the secret passages of course. Did you know how out dated the Maunder's map actually was…''

Her brother continued to ramble on, and she happily leaned into his side in a half-hug as they walked toward the great hall.

And so the Ravenclaw didn't worry about the talk of the folk anymore, as people assumed Ravenclaws lacked personality and prided themselves too much in their hard work.

Yes, for all the magic in the wizard world, her intelligence or ability to predict the events with great accuracy, Lily Luna Potter could honestly say that she could be a complete idiot from time to time, because should everything else fail, she always had her huge and wicked family who she loved and trusted.

A certain man with a light bolting scar on his forehead and a thin long scar across his cheeked felt completely confused.

Harry Potter looked very much surprised indeed, so much that the grouping on his former professors and old classmates chuckled at his expense from the sides. Even his dear wife was not sparing him, but at the precise moment he was just too bewildered to do something about it.

_May be it's the wrong school- wait- that's just stupid. _The head Auror of Britain, honoured member of the highest wizard committee in the world and one of the strongest wizards ever- according to daily Prophet- thought, gapping in front of himself like an idiot.

He had visited this school more times then he cared to count over the past Twenty-five years. He had given lectures, supervised a duelling club and was called to the headmistress office far too often due to his children humours activities.

_But how the bloody hell could I have missed that? When?_

He remembered perfectly the Great Hall that very first day he ever set foot in the school that had been both his hell and heaven for six years of his life. Besides the enormous hallways, wicked decoration and mysterious fog surrounding the castle, Harry Potter could recall perfectly four simple observations he had made.

Gryfindors sit on one table with red and golden ties and symbols on their uniforms.

Slytherin sit on one table with green and silver ties and symbols on their uniforms.

Ravenclaw sit on one table with blue and brown ties and symbols on their uniforms.

Hufflepuff sit on one table with yellow and black ties and symbols on their uniforms.

Alright, the students still respected the dress code, but the colours were all over the place!

He knew his children, his children's extended family and friends were dinning together frequently despite their difference in houses… but it was most certainly not only his children who took their liberty.

The sight before him was a complete contrast of his first memory of the Great Hall. There were groups mixed of all the houses. A large Gryffindor group sat next to a large Syltherine group and… there were no hexes, curses and vulgarisms flying around, instead the two groups not only co-existed but also interacted with each other…

''We still keep the tradition of the House Tables on the Welcoming feast and at the very end of the Year.'' Neville commented from somewhere next to him.

''Tradition?'' Harry question baffled.

''Well, it always seemed to me that we have young Mister Lupin to thank for this until Miss Lily. Four siblings in four houses, raised by the last Potter and a Wesley… it was just doomed to change the functioning of the school.'' Headmistress summarised.

''After all, rules are made to be broken honey.'' Ginny taunted him chuckling from the side.

Harry watched Rose Wesley and Scorpius Malfoy-Black acting more then friendly next to Albus who chattered amicably with a crowed of people from Hupfull. He watched James almost snogging his girlfriend by ironically the surname of Prince. He caught Lily's smile as the second year girl chatted excitedly with her friends of which one was of the surname Dursley. His daughter noticed his gaze and gave him a thumb up with a huge grin.

Harry Potter was not a proud man… and he was always proud of his children.

But on occasions such as today, he was even prouder.

Even if that seemed impossible to some people who knew him and his children.

Rules were made to be broken … even if it took a thousand years…


End file.
